A New Skill and New Pattern

 I bought this book last year, after reading this post over at MADE.  All the sewing patterns I've made up to now, I've done in Powerpoint.  It works well for straight lines and some curves, but it's not ideal.  So, I've been meaning to sit down and learn Illustrator....for almost a year now!  Guess what, I finally did!  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and having this book on hand is really helpful.

 This book is really great.  It's small (7x7, 154 pages) so it's not overwhelming in size or information, but it's just enough.  It definitely takes practice, and I'm by no means a pro.  But, I was able to figure out how to make my very first, multi-page pattern.  This feels like a HUGE accomplishment for me.

 I've purchased quite a few PDF patterns that require assembly.  Some come together better than others, and now I understand why.  It's a little hard to get all those pages to line up perfectly.  I think my first one came together pretty well.

 It's not perfect, but it works.  And, since it's my first and I'd love to get some feedback, I'm going to post this with instructions for free!!  Coming soon....

PS - I couldn't find the book listed on the Nicole's Classes website, so  I sent a message to see if it's still available.  I'll post more info when I find out.

A New Skirt and My Favorite Spring Colors

  Over Mother's Day weekend, I got my nails done, started a new skirt, and bought some fun new fabric.  As I snapped this photo of my skirt in progress, I realized I have a color palette on the brain.  Emerald, black and coral seem to be my go to colors right now.

I'm so happy with now this skirt came out and really proud to say that it is for the most part, self-drafted.

 I started with Simplicity 2226 which I've made twice before.  This one, where I sort of followed the pattern, and here again where I describe the changes I made.

 I used the pattern to draft the pockets and the yoke with belt loops and a skirt from my closet to draft the basic shape.  The invisible zipper gave me trouble on both my previous skirts, so it was nice to not have to worry about a zipper on this one.

 I really like the look of the front buttons, and believe it or not, used the sewing instructions from my Lisette Traveler's Dress to draft the button placket.

There are so many things I love about this skirt.  The fabric is a stretch poplin, so it's really comfortable to wear.  I love the color and the pockets and the fun flower print facing.  I added seam down the back which I think adds a nice simple detail.  I did have to add a little hook between the first 2 top buttons to keep it a little flatter there. I love being able to customize my clothing and not always having to rely on the sizing and fit of store-bought clothes. 

Next on the sewing agenda is a cute matching top with my new fabric find.

Finishing up Projects - Girls Tunic Dress Updated

 

 I don't know if it's because of the Spring weather, but I recently had the urge to clean up my sewing space and finish a whole ton of projects I started and never finished.  Most of those projects can be found in my etsy shop.  The last one was this cute version of my Girls Tunic Dress.

 I used the same pattern that I showed in my tutorial, only made it longer, added a ruffle to the bottom, and didn't add elastic around the middle.

 Now I'm going to make a few more just like this. It's a great dress to transition from winter to spring to summer.

 Paired with boots and leggings now, on it's own later.

Fabric:  Girl Charlee, no longer available, similar HERE.